Continuous value data redundancy, including: receiving, by a storage system, a dataset; determining, based on a data resiliency metric, an integer redundancy value for the dataset from among a plurality of redundancy values; and generating, based on the integer redundancy value for the dataset, data recovery information for the dataset, wherein the integer redundancy value for the dataset is different from at least one other integer redundancy value for another dataset stored within the storage system.
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2. The method of claim 1, wherein, based on multiple different datasets being stored using multiple different redundancy values, an average redundancy value of all stored datasets within the storage system is a continuous value.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the continuous redundancy value corresponds to a time to rebuild value that is a finer granularity than a smaller or larger redundancy value.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the continuous redundancy value corresponds to a time to rebuild that is greater than a time to rebuild corresponding to a redundancy value equal to a floor value of the continuous redundancy value, and wherein the continuous redundancy value corresponds to a time to rebuild that is less than time to rebuild corresponding to a redundancy value equal to a ceiling value of the continuous redundancy value.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the redundancy value corresponds to a parity value, and wherein tuning the target time to rebuild includes increasing the parity value or decreasing the parity value.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the parity value is increased or decreased from any initial value parity to any target value parity, including wherein the parity value is increased or decreased from one of: single parity to double parity, single parity to triple parity, double parity to triple parity, triple parity to single parity, triple parity to double parity, or double parity to single parity.
This invention relates to a method for adjusting parity values in data storage systems to enhance data integrity and reliability. The method addresses the challenge of dynamically modifying parity levels to optimize storage performance and fault tolerance based on varying operational conditions. The system includes a storage controller that manages data storage operations across multiple storage devices, such as hard disk drives or solid-state drives. The controller monitors storage conditions, including error rates, device health, and performance metrics, to determine when parity adjustments are necessary. The method involves selecting a target parity level, such as single, double, or triple parity, based on the current storage environment. The parity value is then increased or decreased from any initial parity level to any target parity level, including transitions like single to double, single to triple, double to triple, triple to single, triple to double, or double to single. This flexibility allows the system to adapt to changing requirements, such as balancing between storage efficiency and fault tolerance. The method ensures data consistency by recalculating and updating parity information across the storage devices to reflect the new parity level, thereby maintaining data integrity during transitions. This approach improves system reliability and performance by dynamically adjusting redundancy levels in response to real-time conditions.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage system implements a RAID (redundant array of independent disks) storage system.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data resiliency metric measures a mean time to data loss.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, based on multiple different datasets being stored using multiple different redundancy values, an average redundancy value of all stored datasets within the storage system is a continuous value.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the continuous redundancy value corresponds to a time to rebuild value that is a finer granularity than a smaller or larger redundancy value.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the continuous redundancy value corresponds to a time to rebuild that is greater than a time to rebuild corresponding to a redundancy value equal to a floor value of the continuous redundancy value, and wherein the continuous redundancy value corresponds to a time to rebuild that is less than time to rebuild corresponding to a redundancy value equal to a ceiling value of the continuous redundancy value.
This invention relates to data storage systems, specifically optimizing redundancy and rebuild times in distributed storage environments. The problem addressed is the trade-off between redundancy levels and the time required to rebuild data after a failure. Higher redundancy improves data durability but increases rebuild time, while lower redundancy reduces rebuild time but risks data loss. The apparatus includes a storage system with a redundancy mechanism that dynamically adjusts redundancy values. The redundancy value is a continuous, non-integer value that balances rebuild time and data protection. The continuous redundancy value ensures that the rebuild time is strictly greater than the time required for a floor value (the nearest lower integer) and strictly less than the time required for a ceiling value (the nearest higher integer). This approach avoids the abrupt changes in rebuild time that occur when switching between discrete redundancy levels, providing finer control over performance and reliability. The system calculates the continuous redundancy value based on system conditions, such as failure rates, storage capacity, and network bandwidth. By using a non-integer redundancy value, the apparatus achieves a more gradual and optimized rebuild process, reducing the risk of prolonged downtime while maintaining data integrity. This method is particularly useful in large-scale storage systems where minimizing rebuild time is critical for maintaining availability.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the redundancy value corresponds to a parity value, and wherein tuning the target time to rebuild includes increasing the parity value or decreasing the parity value.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the parity value is increased or decreased from any initial value parity to any target value parity, including wherein the parity value is increased or decreased from one of: single parity to double parity, single parity to triple parity, double parity to triple parity, triple parity to single parity, triple parity to double parity, or double parity to single parity.
17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the storage system implements a RAID (redundant array of independent disks) storage system.
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April 14, 2020
November 8, 2022
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